Altamont Capital named former Outdoor Research President and CEO Ken Meidell as CEO of Dakine, which the San Francisco investment firm acquired from Billabong in July 2013.
Prior to joining Outdoor Research as CEO in 2013, Meidell worked at Cascade Designs for 12 years, including stints as VP of sales and marketing, VP of the Outdoor Group and chief information officer. That and his previous positions in technology and consulting with firms such as Ernst & Young and Blue Martini, bring a deep knowledge and history of the specialty consumer marketplace and evolving landscape for retail sales and consumer marketing.
He succeeds Leslie Lane, who left Dakine in January after 2.5 years of serving as CEO to take the position of president at Dr. Martens U.S. and Americas.
“Through his creative executive leadership and motivating demeanor, Meidell is focused on expanding Dakine’s presence as the action sports industry’s leading provider of specialized backpacks, apparel, gloves, packs and bags, and technical accessories across the snow, surf, skate, bike and kite/wind communities,” Dakine and Altamont said in a press release.
Founded in Hawaii in 1979, Dakine Dakine makes gear for people who love being on the mountain and in the water. It relocated its headquarters to the windsurfing Mecca of Hood River, Ore. In 2013.
